Published:  00:00 Friday - October 22, 2010

A Singaporean film entitled “Sand Castle” won Best Feature Film and Best Director at the Vietnam International Film Festival in Hanoi, which concluded on October 21.

“Sand Castle” tells the story of a family in Singapore which, Australian director Phillip Noyce, head of the jury board says represents many families.

Ten films in the "In Competition Programme", exhibiting various styles and genres, from eight countries in East and Southeast Asia, created a portrait of modern Asian societies and helped draw international filmmakers to the region, Noyce says.

The Feature films Jury gathered such noted filmmakers as Francois Catonne of France, Marco Mueller of Italy, Kang Soo-yeon of South Korea, and Dang Nhat Minh of Viet Nam.

The Best Actress prize went to two contenders because of their excellence: Nhat Kim Anh of Viet Nam and Fiona Sit of Hongkong (China).

The Documentary and Short Film Jury included Matthieu Poirot-Delpech of France, Juhani Alanen of Finland, and Vietnamese director Bui Dinh Hac.

They granted the Best Documentary prize to the Vietnamese documentary “Always Beside You”, the debut film of young director Nguyen Thi Kim Hai.

The festival focused on East Asian and Southeast Asian films and attracted filmmakers, producers, and distributors from 30 countries and territories.